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Giving Hope and Support to America's Children
Helping Dads Be Fans of Their Kids
First Prize: Molly Weber, 9 Years Old
U.S. Population Becoming More Diverse
Single Father Growth Outpaces Single Mother Growth
Kentucky's Investigator Pilot Project
Family Visitation Centers Open in Delaware
Penalty Work Group Completes Report
A Summary of OCSE Technical Assistance and Training: 1998
Notice of International Meeting
Whether it's playing catch, reading a story, doing homework, or simply listening, fathers need to know that it's critical to be a fan of their kids and that it's the most important position they can play.
The Colorado Child Support Enforcement Program has teamed up with the Colorado Rockies baseball team, Children's Hospital, the Governor's Responsible Fatherhood Initiative, Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, the Rocky Mountain News, and USWEST to help fathers be their kids' biggest fans.
"Be A Fan of Your Kid" is a public service campaign designed to foster positive fathering skills. Started on Father's Day 1998, it includes printed ads in the Rocky Mountain News, public service announcements on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, and an Internet site (www.BeAFanofYourKid.org).
The campaign is targeted to young fathers and provides simple, direct tips to them: Be active in raising your children; support your kids emotionally; praise them for the little things they do; show them your interest, respect and love.
An essay contest in the Rocky Mountain News gave kids a chance to say why their dad is their biggest fan. More than 130 entries were received. The winner, 9-year- old Molly Weber, received a trip for two to San Diego to see the Rockies take on the Padres (see sidebar for an excerpt from Molly's letter).
The second place winner, 8-year-old Patricia Shoemaker ("He took me to ballet even when it was mostly moms there, lets me help in his garden, and tells me how lucky he is to have me."), received four tickets and the opportunity to throw out the first pitch to her grandfather at the Colorado Rockies home game against the Milwaukee Brewers
The third place winner, 12 year old Sean Solano ("A lot of time my dad is in pain at night and doesn't sleep very many hours, but he's still there for me and my family every minute of the day.") received four tickets for seats behind the dugout to a Rockies home game.
To read the winning essays in their entirety, check out the web site at www.BeAFanofYourKid.org. For more information about "Be A Fan of Your Kid," call Anne Berkeley at (303) 839-5429
Anne Berkeley is a Program Assistant in Colorado's Child Support Enforcement Program". . . [my dad] coached all my teams in soccer softball basketball and T-ball too. . . He read to me every night until I learned to read and now I read to him. He keeps pictures of me in his wallet. He takes me fishing. I draw pictures he hangs on the wall at work. He takes me on walks in the hardware store and tells me about what different tools do. We make snowmen. We fly our kites together when it is windy out. Now I have a brother and My Dad has room for both of us."
The population of the United States is becoming increasingly diverse. In recent years, Hispanics and minority racial groups--non-Hispanic blacks, Asians, and American Indians--have each grown faster than the population as a whole. In 1970 these groups together represented only 16 percent of the population. By 1998 this share had increased to 27 percent. Assuming current trends continue, the Bureau of the Census projects that these groups will account for almost half of the U.S. population by 2050. Although such projections are necessarily imprecise, they do indicate that the racial and ethnic diversity of the United States will grow substantially in the next century.
Immigration has played a major role in increasing diversity of the population by contributing to the rapid growth of the Asian and Hispanic populations since the 1960s. In 1997, 38 percent of the Hispanic population and 61 percent of the Asian population were foreign-born, compared with 8 percent of the white population, 6 percent of the black population, and 6 percent of the American Indian population.
While immigration of Asians and Hispanics has increased, population growth has slowed dramatically for the nation as a whole, largely due to declining fertility rates among non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites. As a result of this declining fertility, the non-Hispanic white share of the population has fallen since 1970, and the non-Hispanic black share of the population has increased only slightly.
Household structure is a demographic characteristic with important effects on social and economic status. Poverty rates are highest among children, and the growth of child poverty has often been associated with the rising share of single-parent families. Since 1970 the fraction of families maintained by a single parent has increased for all groups and is highest among blacks (38 percent), American Indians (26 percent), and Hispanics (26 percent). Source: "Changing America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well Being by Race and Hispanic Origin," By the Council of Economic Advisers for the President's Initiative on Race, September, 1998.
While the number of single mothers (9.8 million) has remained constant over the past three years, the number of single fathers has grown 25 percent, from 1.7 million in 1995 to 2.1 million in 1998, according to the Census Bureau's recently released report, "Household and Family Characteristics: March 1998 (Update)." A household is defined as a person or group of persons who live in a housing unit; a family is defined as a group of two or more people (one of whom is the householder, the person in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented) living together and related by birth, marriage, or adoption.
Men now comprise one-sixth of the nation's 11.9 million single parents. Other highlights include:By Kathy Adams
Kentucky's Investigator Pilot Project solves problems with service of process and the location of hidden assets of non-custodial parents by collaborating with the Attorney General's Office. An idea first advanced by Kentucky child support director Steven P. Veno, the project began in April, 1998, through a special contract between Kentucky's Division of Child Support Enforcement and the Office of the Attorney General.
"There are specific areas of the Commonwealth," Mr. Veno said, "that experience problems with service of process compared to other criminal processes. Working within the cultural differences between Kentucky's urban and rural areas, we have been able to implement a very successful project to address these challenges."
Two sites, one in Western and one in Eastern Kentucky, were selected for the pilot and the Attorney General hired an investigator for each site. The investigators work closely with state child support staff and local officials to serve child support summonses and warrants, many of which had gone unserved for years. Investigators also look into cases in which there may be reason to believe that a non-custodial parent's income or assets are questionable.
Less than a year into the project, more than 150 families have benefited from it, and there are already plans for expansion to other areas of the state. Much of the success can be attributed to the investigators' special skills, knowledge, and sensitivity to local culture.
In the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, for example, knowledge of the culture, in addition to a good relationship with law enforcement authorities, has been important to identifying and locating non-custodial parents and their hidden assets. Especially in very rural areas, kinship ties run deep, and it's often who you know that gets things done.
In Western Kentucky, the investigator's military and private investigator background has proven to be strength especially in locating non-custodial parents who may be trying to avoid being served. After working closely with local law enforcement officers and educating them about the importance of child support, that investigator has been appointed as a special bailiff in each of the counties he serves and has complete service of process authority.
While it may be too early to measure the increase in collections brought about by the Investigator Pilot, there is little doubt among those familiar with the Project that positive results are being felt by many children and families. One indicator is the activity on cases with obstacles that previously seemed insurmountable. Another is the gratitude being expressed by many custodial parents. As one of them told an investigator, "This morning my children were able to have sausage with their eggs and a choice of milk or juice, thanks to what you were able to do." For more information contact Kathy Adams at (502) 564-2285 X 406.Return to top of newsletterBy Carl Formoso
Preliminary work in Washington State on child support enforcement (CSE) cost avoidance through reduced custodial parent welfare use has followed two groups of people:
In comparing the costs of welfare use for CSE custodial parents with good collections with costs for CSE custodial parents with poor collections, we find a significant cost avoidance which builds over time associated with good CSE collections. (For our purposes, good collections are defined as a monthly order amount of more than $0 and total arrears of less than twice the monthly order amount.)
We also find cost avoidance associated with the JOBS program. (Association with JOBS is defined as entry into JOBS prior to the quarter of group selection.) The 1995 group showed a positive interaction between CSE and JOBS, with the cost avoidance for participation in both programs being greater than the sum of cost avoidance for the programs separately. No interaction between CSE and JOBS was observed with the 1993 group.
Analyses of duration of spells on or off welfare indicate the primary effect of good CSE collections to be a reduction of recidivism rates, with little or no effect on welfare exits. The JOBS program, on the other hand, shows a strong effect in increasing welfare exit rates but little or no effect on recidivism.If you would like more information about this study, contact Carl Formoso at (360) 664-5090.
By Cynthia B. Lovell
Two new Family Visitation Centers, one in Dover and another in Georgetown, Delaware, were opened in October, 1998. The first Family Visitation Centers in Delaware were established in 1995 to address custody and visitation issues in families with a history of domestic violence. Opening ceremonies in Dover and Georgetown were attended by Governor Thomas R. Carper and State Senator Patricia M. Blevins, as well as other dignitaries, including the State's child support director Karryl Hubbard.
"Family Visitation Centers," said Ms. Hubbard, "provide a safe environment in which families with a history of domestic violence can renew or continue a relationship with their children."The Centers provide two types of services, depending on the history of the family: supervised exchange of children for off-site visitation and monitored on-site visitation. Exchange of children for off-site visitation occurs at the visitation centers, allowing children an opportunity to have visitation without any contact between the parents themselves.
In the 12-month period ending 6/30/98 more than 150 Delaware families participated in the family visitation and exchange program. Staff supervised 5l7 exchanges of children for off-site visitation and monitored 1,255 on-site visitations."These centers strengthen the family circle," Governor Carper said in his opening ceremony remarks, "and we know from research that children benefit from having both parents in their lives."
Through funding provided by DHHS/OCSE Access and Visitation Grants, the Department of Justice Victims of Crime Act, and the Delaware Health and Social Services Division of State Service Centers, which also administers the project, the Family Visitation Centers provide convenient and flexible visitation hours on weekends and holidays.
Services are available statewide, by appointment, in Newark, Dover, Milford, and Georgetown. Participant fees are based on a sliding scale, but victims of domestic violence are not assessed fees.
For more information contact Delaware's Division of State Service Centers at (302) 577-4961.
By Tom Killmurray
The Social Security Act specifically requires a penalty for poor performance in establishing paternities, as well as other performance penalties. A workgroup of state and federal representatives recently issued recommendations to the Commissioner of OCSE on a system of penalties for states that perform poorly. The workgroup's recommendations will be considered when OCSE writes proposed regulations on penalties in the Spring of 1999. As required, the resulting Notice of Proposed Rule Making will afford a comment period.
What aspects of the child support program are proposed for penalties? Extremely poor performance in establishing paternities and establishing child support orders, and low amounts of collections on current support will garner a penalty. The workgroup aimed for consistency with P.L. 105-200, the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act of 1998, which enacts the new system to become effective in fiscal year 2000. Penalties will be assessed using the same measures contained in P.L. 105-200. (While this article focuses on penalties, it should be kept in mind that states will earn incentive payments for high levels of performance.)
The performance standards for paternity establishment are set by statute. A penalty of 1 percent of a state's TANF funds is incurred when a required increase is not met. For example, a state with a 73 percent Paternity Establishment Percentage and no increase, or an increase of less than 3 percentage points over the previous year, will be penalized.
If a state performed below 40 percent on its order establishment rate and had an increase of less than 5 percentage points (or no increase) over the previous year, a penalty of 1 percent of the state's TANF funds is incurred. If a state performed below 35 percent on its current support collection rate, and had an increase of less than 5 percentage points (or no increase) over the previous year, a penalty of 1 percent of the state's TANF funds is incurred.
The work group recommends that the first penalties be assessed in fiscal year 2002, with states having a statutory corrective action period of one year. To learn more about the details of the workgroup's recommended penalty system, see Dear Colleague Letter 98-93.
In addition to and separately from previously announced OCSE grants to states and tribal organizations to strengthen their child support enforcement programs (see November '98 CSR), OCSE has awarded Tribal Planning Grants to:
The funds, which will support planning by the Tribes to operate their own child support programs, are for the period from September 30, 1998 through February 29, 2000. The Project Officer is Lucille Dawson, OCSE's Native American Liaison Officer. For further information, contact Lucille at (202) 401-5437.
OCSE is seeking ways to increase participation of custodial and non-custodial parents in Welfare-to-Work, a voluntary program administered by the Department of Labor.
If you know of successful practices that can be used to publicize the program, or if you have ideas about how to motivate parents to become involved, we would like to hear from you. Please respond to Beverly Bunn at (202) 401-5240, or by email: bbunn@ocse.dsla@acf.wdc.
The Calendar is printed quarterly in CSR: in January, April, July, and October. The Calendar is accessible through the Federal OCSE web site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/ February
1-3 NCSEA 12th Mid-Year Policy Forum and Conference, Wyndham Hotel, Washington, DC, Heather Tonks (202) 624-8180.
16-19 California Family Support Council Annual Training Conference, Riviera Resort & Racquet Club, Palm Springs, CA, Noanne St. Jean (209) 582-3211 X 2403. March
3-5 Louisiana CSE Association Annual Training Conference, Holiday Inn Financial Plaza, Shreveport, LA, Michael D. Brown (225) 342-4780. April
6-8 Child Support Enforcement Systems Workshop, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington, DC, Shelly Wood (301) 587-4220 Ext.268.
19-21 Child Support Enforcement Systems Workshop, Adams Mark Hotel, St. Louis, MO, Margo Eaton, (301) 587-4220 Ext. 266.
26-28 Child Support Enforcement Systems Workshop, Crown Plaza Hotel, Phoenix, AZ, Shelly Wood (301) 587-4220 Ext.268. May
10-13 California Family Support Council Quarterly Meeting, Hyatt Regency Monterey, Monterey, CA, Noanne St. Jean (209) 582-3211 X 2403.
12-14 North Carolina Council Conference, Seatrail Plantation & Gold Resort, Brunswick County, NC, Barry Miller (919) 571-4114.
16-21 Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Association Conference, Wyndham Resort and Spa, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Vernon Drew (301) 587-9622. June
16-18 "Connecting Fathers, Families, & Communities: Dads Make a Difference," Green River Community College, Auburn, WA, Cheryl Reed (360) 664-5445. July
6-8 California Family Support Council Quarterly Meeting, Catamaran, San Diego, CA, Noanne St. Jean (209) 582-3211 X 2403. August
8-12 NCSEA 48th Annual Conference & Exposition, Palmer House Hilton & Towers, Chicago, IL, Heather Tonks.
By Myles Schlank
During 1998, OCSE's Division of Technical Assistance and Training provided many products meant to help the states' staff achieve program goals. Examples include:
If you would like more information about OCSE's training and technical assistance activities, call Myles Schlank at (202) 401-9329.
We understand that the Department of State has scheduled a meeting of a study group on international family support enforcement of the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Private International Law for Friday, January 29, 1999.
The purpose is to assist the United States delegation to the Hague Conference on Private International Law special session, to be held in April, 1999. A public notice of the meeting will be published in the Federal Register.
Additional information may be obtained from Stephen Grant (OCSE, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW, Aerospace Bldg., Washington, DC 20447, phone (202) 260-5943, email sgrant@acf.dhhs.gov); or Gloria DeHart (Office of the Assistant Legal Advisor/PIL, U.S. Department of State,50 Fremont St., Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94101-3648, phone (415) 356-6187).
For copies of the Federal Register notice or the documents to be discussed at the meeting, or for information about attending the meeting, contact Rosalia Gonzales at (202) 776-8420.
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